The Noble's Prisoner
by JakeHercy
Summary: No one was there to save her. She fought back, and so the noble's son has kept her imprisoned. Now, her will is all but broken. DA:O Oneshot of F!Tabris, if Duncan wasn't there to recruit her. WARNING: IMPLIED ABUSE


Tabris curled herself up as small as she could in the farthest corner of the room. The stone wall felt of ice against her bare back, and she trembled and watched coppery strands of her unwashed hair shudder in her face. When her eyes glanced over the room, there was only stone. A door stood furthest away, forever barred. No windows were there to shed light or to hint at the time of day. She couldn't remember the last time she ate nor the last time she saw the sky. She couldn't remember the last thing she ever said to father. Even their faces – Shianni, Soris... Father... - were all fading from her memory. _How long has it been? - _Even her thoughts rasped at the waning ability to speak - _How long am I supposed to last?_

Each staggered breath she drew bestowed stinging pain to the bloody chaps on her lips. She was so cold, sitting bare in that little room where time didn't exist. The elf cupped her hands to her face and breathed heavily, begging her body to return to warmth. When she rubbed her palms, she could clearly see just how far she had chewed on her fingernails. _Better than cleaning out that human's flesh night after night_, she thought bitterly.

_Night after night..._

Tabris clutched her thin legs close to her chest until the ache could overshadow the memories. Tears stung her eyes, rubbed raw from her crying. Of all the thoughts she could have, of all things to remember... she never wanted to relive that. The elf desperately tried to push those sickening feelings from the pit in her stomach... anything to block them out. The one thing she couldn't ignore, however, was the constant physical pain that lingered from those nights.

_"A bitch needs to be trained..."_

She bit down hard on her forearm, tears streaking her pale cheeks. Tabris crossed and uncrossed her legs, over and over, hating her body. _This body of an elf!_ She screamed inside. _Tiny! Weak! One that can't protect herself from a bastard!_ The movement of her legs stretched her, and the stab of pain wrecked her body. She'd accidentally thrown herself into the corner and rammed her shoulder into the stone. A wail of pain escaped her dry lips, and a bruise began to form on her bone. At the realization, she threw her hand tightly over her mouth.

Too late... Footsteps were emphasized with the jingle of keys as someone approached the door. The wood of the entrance shook violently when someone pounded into it just outside. "Shut it, knife-ears!" bellowed the guard. "Since it seems that you want your night-time with Vaughan so early, I'll have to interrupt his evenin' meal. Happy, elf?"

Tabris wanted to scream. She wanted to yell 'NO' at the top of her lungs. She wanted to get up and beg at the doorway, hoping that there was one, slim chance that she could delay the rendezvous as far as possible, to get the guard's sympathy. The elf had no such luck, barely having the energy just to move. _It wouldn't have changed anything... all humans are the same... Blighted bastards who deserve as much mercy as they've given me..._ She almost tried to give up resisting. It only hurt when she did, and it was made all the worse the harder she fought. She should just...

Too soon, she heard the familiar _click_ of the lock on the door. Her breath caught in her throat and the air stood still as the wood creaked open. The light in the corridor was much fiercer than in her dim room, creating a silhouette in the doorway while her eyes tried to adjust. It didn't take long for the door to shut the light back out, leaving her in a disturbed darkness. Tabris kept as still as she possibly could, and for the longest time, she could only hear her heart pounding in her ears.

Then that's when she heard the shuffled movement at the door where the figure had let himself in. The thump of a soft-soled boot hitting the floor raised the hairs on the back of her neck. _He's here..._ She was silent on the outside, but inside, she was screaming.

"Well, well..." the all-too-familiar voice of the man purred from afar. "Can't wait until after supper, hm? Very well."

Suddenly, the elf felt a strong pair of hands grip her shoulders and raise her to her feet. Before she could think clearly, she was thrown against the wall, her cheek pressed painfully against the chilled stone from the force of the hand behind her head. Tabris felt Vaughan press tightly against her – though he was still clothed, she could already feel him, and the sickness returned to her stomach. The noble's son ran his hands over every curve, every scar, every crevice of her body, physically reminding her that she's powerless. A whimper crawled out of her throat, and suddenly her head was yanked back by her hair.

Her accidental sound unleashed some bottled fury inside of him, and he bit hard on her pointed ear. Tabris yelped in pain. She wanted to shake him off, but he had a firm bite on her – she was convinced he'd rip her 'knife-ears' right off. Vaughan stood there, reveling in the moment, and then he slowly relaxed his jaw. "You squeal only when I tell you to squeal," he whispered hotly in her hurting ear. "I think... you need more training."

The elf had promised herself that she wouldn't struggle, that she wouldn't resist. However, she immediately broke that promise when she spun around and elbowed him in the face as hard as she physically could. The noble reeled in pain, clutching his bloody nose, and he screamed, "Bitch!" Tabris retreated to the other end of the room away from him, cornering herself against the wall in fear. Vaughan bent over, bellowing all the profanity known in Thedas, and he saw as his blood seeped between his fingers and splattered on the floor. The human shot a deadly look at his captive, and Tabris watched in horror as he pulled a dirk from his belt.

"No bloody knife-eared bitch makes a noble's son bleed!"

She could barely let out a final scream before she started choking on her own blood, the knife having deeply slashed her throat.


End file.
